Ethan Nwaneri’s brother receives England call-up

Ethan Nwaneri’s younger brother Emerson has been called up by the England u15s for a training camp, as he looks to follow his sibling into senior football.

Arsenal fans are well acquainted with Ethan Nwaneri by now, especially after the midfielder’s first Premier League goal at the weekend. But many may not be aware that the 17-year-old has a younger brother called Emerson.

Like Ethan, Emerson is coming through the Arsenal academy, and he’s now also set to represent England in youth football.

The Academy Watch report that Arsenal duo Emerson Nwaneri and Charlie Phillips have both been called up for an upcoming England u15 camp.

All Nigeria Soccer write that both Emerson and Ethan are eligible to play for Nigeria, through their father. But for the time being, it looks as though they intend to represent England at youth level.

It’s not uncommon for players to represent England in the youth teams and then make the switch later. Alex Iwobi played for the England youth teams before switching to Nigeria, for example.

It’s obviously a lot more convenient for players living in England to represent England at a younger age, reducing their need to travel and increasingly the likelihood that the camps will be coordinated with the English youth football calendar.

Whether Emerson or Ethan follow Iwobi’s pathway when they progress to senior internationals remains to be seen.

For the time being, the Nwaneri brothers will just be enjoying the rewards of their hard work, and continuing to push for more.